Tomorrow, Easter Day, is the day on which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, three days after being executed on a cross. Christians believe that the resurrection was not just a historical event but also an event that changed the course of history and altered the destiny of all who believe in Jesus. According to Paul in the third chapter of his letter to the Colossians, followers of Jesus participate in his resurrection:
You have been raised with Christ, so search for things which are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. Think about things which are above, not things which are on earth. You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory. So kill those parts of you which are earthly.
What does it mean for someone to have been “raised with Christ”? It means that people who choose to trust in Jesus have died to their old life in which they were separated from God, and been born again into a new life as friends of God. Thus every believer has participated in Christ’s death, when he died to pay the penalty for the sin which separated us from God, and also in his resurrection, when he ushered us into the new life which lasts for ever.